War Zone (album)

War Zone
War Zone
Studio album by Black Moon
Released	February 23, 1999
Recorded	1997–1998
Studio	D&D (New York City)
Genre	East Coast hip hop; underground hip hop;
Length	1:01:12
Label	Duck Down; Priority;
Producer	Buckshot (exec.); Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman (exec.); Da Beatminerz (also exec.); Rockwilder (co.);
Black Moon chronology
Singles from War Zone
	"Two Turntables & A Mic"; Released: 1999; "Worldwind (Remix)"; Released: June 29, 1999;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Los Angeles Times	^[2]
RapReviews	7/10^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]
The Source	^[5]

War Zone is the second album by American hip hop trio Black Moon. It was released on February 23, 1999,^[6] through Duck Down/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was entirely handled by Da Beatminerz, who also served as executive producers together with Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and member Buckshot. It features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Heather B., Louieville Sluggah, M.O.P., Q-Tip, Rock, Smif-N-Wessun and Teflon. The album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B Albums. It was supported by two singles: "Two Turntables & a Mic" and "Worldwind (This Is What It Sounds Like) (Remix)".

The album was released almost six years after its influential debut Enta da Stage. The group began a lengthy legal battle with Nervous Records in 1995 over the licensing of their name, which finally settled soon before the release of War Zone. Though many of the albums released from the Boot Camp Clik family between 1997 and 1999 received mediocre reviews, War Zone garnered some strong acclaim and moderate sales. Member 5ft, who only appeared on three tracks on Enta da Stage, provides verses on six songs.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Kenyatta Blake	0:43
2.	"The Onslaught" (featuring Busta Rhymes)	Blake Ewart C. Dewgrade George Clinton Bernie Worrell William Collins	3:53
3.	"War Zone"	Blake Kasim Reid Walter V. Dewgarde Jahmal Bush	3:21
4.	"This Is What It Sounds Like (Worldwind)"	Blake Paul Anthony Hendricks Brian Corrigan Manos Hadjidakis	4:39
5.	"Freestyle"	Blake W. Dewgarde Claydes Charles Smith Fred Wesley James Brown Kool & the Gang	3:36
6.	"Five" (Interlude)	Reid	1:13
7.	"For All Y'all" (featuring Heather B.)	Reid Heather B. Gardner E. Dewgarde	4:40
8.	"Come Get Some" (featuring Louieville Sluggah)	Blake Barret Powell W. Dewgarde Thomas Sylvester Allen	5:00
9.	"Weight of the World"	Blake Reid E. Dewgarde W. Dewgarde	3:29
10.	"Evil Dee Is on the Mix"	E. Dewgarde	0:59
11.	"Show Down" (featuring Q-Tip)	Blake E. Dewgarde W. Dewgarde	3:41
12.	"One-Two"	Blake Reid E. Dewgarde David Axelrod	3:43
13.	"Frame" (featuring Cocoa Brovaz)	Blake Darrell Yates, Jr. Tekomin Williams W. Dewgarde	3:59
14.	"Buckshot (Interlude)"	Blake	1:11
15.	"Two Turntables & A Mic"	Blake E. Dewgarde Kenton Nix	3:56
16.	"Annihilation" (featuring M.O.P. and Teflon)	Reid Eric Murray Jamal Grinnage Linwood Starling Hendricks W. Dewgarde	4:08
17.	"Duress"	Blake Hendricks Axelrod	4:00
18.	"Throw Your Hands in the Air"	Blake E. Dewgarde W. Dewgarde Dana Stinson Curtis Mayfield	4:19
19.	"Outro" (featuring Rock)	Bush	0:42
Total length:			1:01:12

*War Zone Revisited*
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
20.	"The Streets"	Blake E. Dewgarde W. Dewgarde	3:09
21.	"Just Us"	Blake E. Dewgarde W. Dewgarde	5:37
Total length:			1:09:59

Sample credits

Track 2 contains a sample from "How Do Yeaw View You?" written by George Clinton, William Collins and Bernard Worrell
Track 4 contains a sample from "The Day" written by Manos Hadjidakis and Brian Corrigan
Track 5 contains a sample from "N.T." written by Kool & the Gang and "Dead On It Part II" written by James Brown and Fred Wesley
Track 12 contains a sample from "A Divine Image" written by David Axelrod
Track 15 contains a sample from "Heartbeat" written by Kenton Nix
Track 17 contains a sample from "General Confessional" written by Danvid Axelrod
Track 18 contains a sample from "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" written by Curtis Mayfield

Personnel

Black Moon

Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake – main artist, lead vocals, executive producer, liner notes
Kaseem "5ft" Reid – main artist, vocals (tracks: 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 16), liner notes
Ewart "DJ Evil Dee" Dewgrade – main artist, scratches, producer, executive producer, liner notes

Guest musicians

Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith – featured artist (track 2)
Heather B. Gardner – featured artist (track 7)
Barret "Louieville Sluggah" Powell – featured artist (track 8)
Jonathan "Q-Tip" Davis – featured artist (track 11)
Darrell "Steele" Yates, Jr. – featured artist (track 13)
Tekomin "Tek" Williams – featured artist (track 13)
Jamal "Lil' Fame" Grinnage – featured artist (track 16)
Eric "Billy Danze" Murray – featured artist (track 16)
Linwood "Teflon" Starling – featured artist (track 16)
Jahmal "Rock" Bush – featured artist (track 19)
Mark "Boogie" Brown – bass (track 5), guitar (track 8)
Dana "Rockwilder" Stinson – keyboards & co-producer (track 18)

Technical

Walter "Mr. Walt" Dewgarde – producer, executive producer, liner notes
Paul "Baby Paul" Hendricks – producer
Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman – executive producer
Kieran Walsh – mixing (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 16-18), recording (tracks: 2, 7, 17, 18)
Leo "Swift" Morris – mixing (tracks: 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16), recording (tracks: 4, 8, 9, 11-13, 15)
Dejuana Richardson – recording (tracks: 3, 5)
Almitra – recording (tracks: 6, 14)
Cynical Smith – recording (tracks: 6, 14)
Donovan McCoy – recording (track 16)
Thomas Coyne – mastering
Kevin Bergen – assistant engineering
Tramp And Huy – art direction

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[7]	35
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)^[8]	9

Singles chart positions

Year	Song	Chart positions
Year	Song	US R&B/Hip-Hop	US Rap
1999	"Two Turntables & a Mic"	82	–
1999	"This Is What It Sounds Like (Worldwind)" (Remix)	–	13

References

^ Farley, Keith. "War Zone - Black Moon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ Baker, Soren (April 11, 1999). "In Brief: Black Moon, "War Zone"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (March 21, 1999). "Black Moon :: War Zone :: Duck Down". RapReviews. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ Ex, Kris (April 15, 1999). "Tiny Terrors". Recordings. Rolling Stone. No. 810. p. 107. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
^ Morales, Rigo "Riggs" (March 1999). "Buckshot, 5ft & Evil Dee – War Zone". Record Report. The Source. No. 114. New York. pp. 193–194.
^ Auerbach, Evan (September 25, 2013). "The Choice Is Yours: 10 Great Rap Release Dates Of The 1990s". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
^ "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of April 3, 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 3, 1999. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

External links

Black Moon – War Zone at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] Farley, Keith. "War Zone - Black Moon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[2] Baker, Soren (April 11, 1999). "In Brief: Black Moon, "War Zone"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2024.

[3] Juon, Steve 'Flash' (March 21, 1999). "Black Moon :: War Zone :: Duck Down". RapReviews. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[4] Ex, Kris (April 15, 1999). "Tiny Terrors". Recordings. Rolling Stone. No. 810. p. 107. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2024.

[5] Morales, Rigo "Riggs" (March 1999). "Buckshot, 5ft & Evil Dee – War Zone". Record Report. The Source. No. 114. New York. pp. 193–194.

[6] Auerbach, Evan (September 25, 2013). "The Choice Is Yours: 10 Great Rap Release Dates Of The 1990s". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2024.

[7] "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of April 3, 1999". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[8] "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 14. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 3, 1999. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

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